“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’”  Luke 10:38-42

I look to the story of Mary and Martha in the Book of Luke for guidance today. As many of you know, one year ago, my husband Eric and I were blessed with a baby boy.  As new parents, we’ve experienced more utter joy than we could have imagined. Along with this incredible gift came the flipping upside down of a life we finally had figured out, and a natural rearrangement of our priorities.  Where do you find time to care for a child where there wasn’t time before?  Well, you have to change – your commitments, your hobbies, your schedule, what you eat, how you get ready for the day, what type of activities you do, etc.  All this change can leave you wondering “who am I,” and “where am I going again?” There is probably nothing more I can say about this that you don’t already know from personal experience –a little heads up would have been nice ;) – but in all seriousness, it has been a huge adjustment and quite overwhelming at times.

I’ve been told before that as a mother, you will experience more feelings of guilt than you ever have before – Now, I know that to be true. In juggling the roles of mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, dog-owner and employee, to name a few, I often feel like I’m not doing a good enough job at any of these things, and I feel so guilty, thinking “I’m not getting enough done at work,” or “poor puppy…I haven’t been getting you out for enough exercise,” or “I haven’t had enough time to make healthy meals,” or “I really haven’t spent much time in prayer lately,” or “Sully is growing up so fast, and time is slipping away!”

What are your own struggles with time?  What guilt do you have over how you do or don’t spend it? When I take the time to reflect, I realize, and have to constantly remind myself that not one person can be perfect at ALL of those things at once, but in one moment, I can give my ALL to ONE and rejoice in that moment, knowing I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

Prayer: Lord, God, please help us to place you at the center of our lives, to focus on the important things, not to get too hung up on time, for it cannot be changed or rewound. Help us to quiet the distractions that keep us from our moment’s purpose, and to live only in that moment, as Mary did, for “It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast, you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” (Eddie Cantor) Lord, prepare our hearts and minds to spend time with You, especially when there is “no time,” and the load is too much to bear. Amen.